Pretty Girls on the Street Protesting the Rich Second Generation

This forum post “Chengdu Pretty Girls Protesting Rich 2nd Generation” on Tianya got great hit rate today and was soon used in many Chinese major news sites like Netease and QQ. In Chengdu Times Square, a group of pretty girls were passing out flyers wearing t-shirts with the message “Our Generation is not the Rich Second Generation”. What is this about? Once you read the flyer then you will know they are promoting safe driving. So what does “Rich Second Generation” has to do with safe driving?

If you have been following the Chinese news lately, there were quite a few car accidents with pedestrians get hit and killed by speeding cars. These news greatly attracted the public’s attentions. In my early post “Car Smashing Elder and China’s Road Kills” I mentioned the “Hangzhou Drag Racing Incident”, being one of the most discussed piece news in past month. A rich kid hits and kills a pedestrian while street racing in Hangzhou. And recently a Porsche Cayenne hit and killed a young girl also in the same city Hangzhou.

The “Rich Second Generation” (富二代) refers to people who mostly were born after 1980s, Children of early China’s first generation of private entrepreneurs “Rich first Generation” after China’s “opening door policy”. Now they are wealthy because of the inheritance.

The common theme of these stories is always a “Rich Second Generation” drives a nice car, hits and kills a working class pedestrian. The common perception is the “Rich 2^nd Generations” being rich, they just fool around all day, fritter away a fortune with no ambitions. They also have no regards to other people and the law, thinking they can solve anything with money…

The flyer:

Safe driving, our Generation’s Quotations

Driving is for reaching your destination. Heaven is in Hangzhou, but it’s far, please drive carefully.

Passing other car does not mean your car is better than others.

Passing a nicer car does not mean your skill is better than others.

Being the first to go when the green light turns on does not mean your don’t have to wait in line on the next intersection.

During traffic, waiting in line does not mean you are more stupid than others.

Clearly the girls are referencing the Hangzhou accidents with the flyer and their Slogan. This was a very successful marketing campaign. Pretty girls + the phrase “Rich Second Generation” attracted many people on the street.